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Director resigns to follow her dream
By BRIDGET HALL GRUMET © St. Petersburg Times, published May 25, 2001 INVERNESS -- It won't be easy for Karen Barnett, the county's Parks and Recreation director for nearly 11 years, to leave her job June 8. Barnett's resignation means walking away from the cluster of parks she has developed and saying goodbye to the employees who have lent their support along the way. It also means wrapping up her life in Citrus County so she can pursue her master's degree at Florida State University. "That's going to be hard for a die-hard Gator fan," Barnett admitted with a chuckle. Barnett, 43, submitted her letter of resignation to the county last Friday to pursue what she called a "lifelong dream." She plans to earn her master's degree in recreation and leisure services administration and eventually teach university students to do what she has done: build and maintain public parks. "I want to take the over 20 years of practical experience that I have and bring it into the classroom level," she said. The county built about a half dozen new parks during her tenure, often with unconventional touches. When Central Citrus Little League needed its own ball fields in 1995, Barnett helped create a partnership with the league to split the cost and labor for building Central Ridge District Park, which opened last year. Barnett expects the county will strike up similar partnerships with other groups to build future parks. Barnett took up the causes of others who had nowhere to play, such as a group of bocce-playing retirees and dozens of skateboarders. The first public facilities for both are at the Beverly Hills Community Park, which also opened last year. "Who would have ever figured we would have a skateboard park in Beverly Hills?" said Community Services Director Heidi Denis, whose department includes the parks division. "Now it's one of our most used facilities." "Karen brought new and creative ideas in response to the needs that citizens brought forward," Denis said. Barnett's shoes will be hard to fill, Denis said. The county will advertise in state and national publications for a new director, but in the meantime, Rafael DelValle will move up from assistant to interim parks and recreation director. Barnett started with the county in 1985 as a parks and recreation assistant. By 1990, she was running the division. Although she grew up in South Florida, Barnett's grandparents and great-grandparents called Citrus County home. She moved to Citrus in 1983 to be with her family, and said now she will find it hard to go. "I can't emphasize enough how much I've enjoyed working here," Barnett said. "I've had a very helpful staff, and I owe a great deal to them for their hard work and support. It's going to be hard to leave."
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